


A Sweeter Sickness

by Zillabird



Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Alternate Universe - Assassins & Hitmen, Canon-Typical Violence, Consensual Underage Sex, Extremely Dubious Consent, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Mirror Universe, Torture, warnings in regards to events that took place in the past
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-04
Updated: 2018-03-21
Packaged: 2019-01-09 03:30:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12267975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zillabird/pseuds/Zillabird
Summary: Jason's been away from his adopted family for a long time and he's spent that entire time working against them. They're criminals and Jason's time away has taught him that what they do is wrong, plain and simple. Family isn't that easy to cut ties with, however, and Jason finds himself struggling to keep his past emotions separated from the present when a series of events draws his predecessor into his vicinity. Dick Grayson is every bit as sexy, charming, and dangerous as he was when Jason first met him, only this time he has everything to lose and the thing he wants to protect the most is his long lost Little Wing. Turns out that evil might be as cut and dry as it seems, but family defies everything.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My usual spiel about warnings. Please read. All of the rape/dubious consent/underage warnings are in regards to past events. For more in depth explanation, refer to the end notes down at the bottom of the first chapter. Each chapter will have specific warnings at the top. Anything contained in the story isn't necessarily something that I condone, just how the story came to the page.
> 
> Thanks for reading :D
> 
> Warnings for Ch. 1: Torture (specifically burning though it's over quickly and then referenced use of a heavy object), Aftermath of Torture (including hospital time and then chronic pain later in the chapter)

“When was the treaty signed?” Bruce asked.

“October twenty-sixth,” Jason said.

“Year?” Bruce prompted.

“Eighteen ninety six,” Jason said.

“Very good,” Bruce said.

“In Addis Ababa,” Jason added, after. “It acknowledged the independence of Ethiopia.”

“You’re starting to show off,” Bruce commented. “But you’re not wrong.”

“All of the studying I did, you should at least ask all the questions,” Jason said.

“I’d be more impressed if you prioritized the things I told you to study,” Bruce said.

“I’m improving on my shooting,” Jason said. “My hand to hand combat has gotten better across the board. My knife work is _great_.”

“Dick’s was better,” Bruce said.

Jason’s jaw ached with the force of his teeth grating. “I’m working on it.”

“When you’re reminded, when you want to,” Bruce said. His hand settled on Jason’s shoulder. “You _are_ improving, though. That’s why you’re going to join me on the next job I take, in an active role.”

Jason’s head popped up. “Really?”

“Really,” Bruce said. “In Ethiopia, actually. We leave in one week.”

“Is that why you had to study all of this?” Jason asked.

Bruce shrugged. “Geography and world history is part of your curriculum. It was only a matter of time and I believe in the practicality of learning what you can use.”

It didn’t matter to Jason what Bruce put in front of him. This was better than the scraps of attention he got in overstuffed classrooms when Mom was still bothering to send him to school. Before she got too sick to even manage that. Here Bruce gave him every resource he could want to learn as much about it as he possibly could. If it came with knife fighting and anatomy lessons and chemistry lessons to create poisons, so be it. Knowledge was power and power kept Jason off the streets of Gotham, begging for scraps of food from people who would kick him into the gutter before they parted with a penny of their cash.

“Just you and me?” Jason asked, hopefully. Bruce had taken him on missions before, but always either in a passive role or with Dick there to provide Bruce the backup that Jason couldn’t be trusted to provide apparently.

“Just you and I,” Bruce confirmed.

Jason grinned. “Do you want to spar?”

“Suddenly eager to get in that practice?” Bruce asked. He huffed. “Go. Get changed.”

Jason was gone in an instant.

~~~

“Did you know that he was going to have this many men?” Jason asked.

It was unlikely, based on Bruce’s thinned lips and narrowed eyes. There were dozens of men, not the two or three personal bodyguards that the client had informed him off. Bruce wouldn’t have taken Jason on this job if he’d had any idea that there would be so many opponents. Jason was still young and he didn’t take to his training physically enough for Bruce to feel comfortable sending him up against dozens of armed men. Not yet.

“I need you to move out of the ventilation system and go to the building across the street,” Bruce said.

Jason’s whole body tensed. “Bruce, I can handle this.”

_This_ Dick and Jason shared. An inability to listen to any order that Bruce gave them. If he didn’t want a fight on his hands, something too dangerous for the situation right now, then he needed to be careful. “I need you to go meet with the client and tell him that he will pay another twenty thousand for this, or I will leave immediately. When you get word, contact me.”

“I want to help,” Jason said.

Bruce curled his fingers against the metal of the vent, taking a moment to breathe and maintain control of his temper. “You will be more help dealing with the client. Do you think I would send you to deal with the client if I didn’t think you were capable? I didn’t let Dick deal with clients until he was seventeen. This is not about your inabilities as a combatant, but my trust that you will handle this appropriately. Can you do it or not?”

Dick didn’t get to deal with clients until he was seventeen? A grin spread wide on Jason’s face. “I can do it.”

“Good,” Bruce said. “Then go do so.”

It took Jason about ten minutes to follow their exit plan out of the building’s ventilation system and then cross the street over to the building on the other side. It was smaller; only three stories and so sitting in the long shadow of the building that Bruce was currently hidden away in. Jason passed by the security with no problems, standing straighter with no small amount of pride at the small victory.

And getting to do something that even _Bruce’s precious golden boy_ didn’t get to do at his age?

This mission couldn’t go any better.

Jason checked his cell phone for the time when he stepped into the conference room that the client had paid for in anticipation of needing a secure place to speak. It was empty, however, and Jason found himself getting irritated at being made to wait. If it wasn’t for the fact that Jason knew the client didn’t know that he and not Bruce had contacted him for this impromptu meeting, he’d have been offended that the client was making him wait.

“Impatient, boy?”

Jason snapped to attention, looking up at the man entering. He was pale with dark hair. His eyes were wild and it made Jason’s stomach turn. Even when Jason had first realized that Bruce was a killer, a murderer for hire, he hadn’t felt this discomfort around him. “Are you the client?”

“I am,” the man said.

Jason crossed his arms over his chest. “The Bat sent me to renegotiate. It seems your intelligence was bad. There were five times the men in the room that you said there would be. You can pay an extra twenty grand or we walk on the job. You’re lucky that we’re willing to renegotiate at all.”

The door clicked behind the client. “I expected the Bat himself.”

“He has more important things to deal with than you,” Jason said. “Besides, he trusts me to negotiate for him.”

“Does he?” the man asked, lips splitting into a grin. The fluttering in Jason’s stomach managed to only get worse.

“Twenty grand,” Jason said. “Take it or leave it.”

Silence filled the space between them. Bruce wouldn’t be happy if they had to skate on this job after all this time. He was expecting Jason to make this happen and Jason refused to let him down.

“Fine,” the man said.

Jason barely held back a sigh of relief. When Bruce saw how well he’d done with this, Jason would get to play a more active role in the jobs they took. Jason would be just as good as the Golden Boy. Better, even. “Make the payment.”

“Could you help me with the account number again?” the man asked.

Jason huffed and then stalked across the room. He took the phone, snatching it away from the man. He had this account number memorized. It was how they got paid, so Bruce made sure that Jason knew it by heart. He punched in the numbers, mistyping when the client’s hand settled on Jason’s neck. He squeezed so hard that he pinched the skin and Jason pulled away abruptly. “Don’t touch me.”

The man’s hand settled to his side. “Apologies.”

“Whatever,” Jason muttered. He really needed to have a talk with Bruce about taking more care with who they hired. This guy was creepy to the max. Jason finished typing in the account number and handed the phone back. “Let me see the confirmation when it’s sent.”

“Of course,” the man said.

Jason blinked a few times, ignoring the throb at the back of his neck where the man had squeezed. It was stretching into a vicious headache that was making him see spots in front of his eyes and the room spin.

While they waited for the confirmation, the man kept glancing up at Jason.

Jason sneered. “Take a picture. It will last longer.”

“You’re not looking too good,” the man commented. It was followed by a chuckle.

Jason wasn’t feeling too good either. He braced his hand on the table, hating how much he was showing by doing so. He just couldn’t stay on his feet without help any longer. The room was spinning before his eyes.

The throb on his neck grew and Jason reached back, feeling the heat there. The spot of blood. Jason closed his eyes. “You drugged me.”

“Figured that out all by yourself? I can see why the Bat trusts you,” the man mocked. Jason tried to move away but the arms around him were the only thing that kept him on his feet. The arms tightened, squeezing around Jason’s chest and pinning his arms to his side. “The Bat took something precious from me. I’m going to return the favor.”

If this man had wanted to take something precious from Bruce, he should have gone after the Golden Boy. “...Not… going to… get away… with this.”

“I already have,” he whispered, before laughing into Jason’s ear and making his head explode in pain.

When he woke up, his head was still pounding from the drug pumping through his system. It throbbed behind his eyes and up and down from the base of his neck to the top of his head. He rolled his wrists but found them bound. Metal, not rope. There were disadvantages to both but Jason would have rather found himself in rope than handcuffs for the moment. He hadn’t perfected the art of lock picking yet. There was nothing less inspiring than having a time limit set and having Bruce tell him over and over and _over_ again that he’d lost.

“Wakey wakey.” Jason jerked away from the whispered words in his ear. A hand settled on his shoulder and then down and around his neck. He was pulled back until the back of the chair pressed against his shoulders almost painfully. “You’re not going anywhere, boy. I expect to get my revenge back in full.”

_The Bat took something precious from me. I’m going to return the favor._

Bruce had killed someone important to this man. Now Jason was going to pay for that crime.

“You could start by telling me where your teacher is,” the man said.

“Bite me,” Jason replied.

“I am going to do things far, far worse than bite you,” he said. “Tell me where he is.”

Bruce would come for him. At this point he had to have long realized that Jason was missing. He would know it was the client, he would track them both down. He would rescue Jason and Jason would get a long winded lecture about how to play it safe and not let clients stab him in the neck with a needle unaware.

Jason would go home.

“I’d tell you,” Jason said. “But then I’d have to kill you.”

_Whoosh_. The sound was quiet, subtle, but it was enough to make the hair on the back of Jason’s neck stand on end. His eyes opened and he took in the darkness of the room. There were florescent lights above, a few of which seemed to flicker in and out. Jason turned and caught the glimmer of orange and blue. Some kind of small flame.

“Last chance, boy,” the man warned. “Tell me now and I’ll send your body back to him in one piece.”

Bruce would come.

“Eat shit,” Jason said, bracing himself for what was coming. It had nothing on the pain that lit up on his arms when the man pressed the flame against his bared skin.

~~~

The bloody crowbar was laying at Jason’s feet where the man had thrown it when he’d grown tired of listening to Jason tell him to go fuck himself in fourteen different languages. Honestly, Jason wasn’t real confident in his verb conjugation in Welsh but after taking a crowbar to the head half a dozen times he would be impressed if the Welsh were confident in their conjugation, let alone him.

It was hard to tell how long he’d been here. Years. Months. Weeks. Days.

Maybe it was only hours. The longest hours of his life and Bruce had barely started looking for him.

It could have been a century. It could have been minutes. Nothing mattered, least of all time.

“Once I was happy, but now I’m forlorn like an old coat that is tattered and torn,” Jason murmured. The anger rushed up, anger that this was the only song that he could remember. “Tattered…and torn.” Jason’s lips twisted and he felt the laughter spill out from between them more than heard it. “Tattered and torn.”

No one joined his laughter, but the steady drip of the pipe onto the cement floor had kept him company for all the seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years that he’d been here.

“Left on this world to fret and to mourn,” Jason sang. “Betrayed by a maid in her teens. The girl that I loved she was handsome, I tried all I knew her to please. But I could not please her one quarter so well, as the man upon the trapeze.”

Jason’s head lifted up slowly at a bang at a distance. Something dropped, something falling. Maybe it would crush the laughing bastard and Jason would starve to death in here.

That would almost be funny. Starving to death after being tortured for so long.

“He’d fly through the air with the greatest of ease, the daring young man on the flying trapeze. His movements were graceful, all the girls he did please, and my love he has stolen away,” Jason said.

Another bang.

Jason blinked down at the bloody crowbar.

“Tattered and torn,” Jason whispered.

Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.

Blood was so damn hot. It boiled under his skin and on his skin. It made a searing little puddle on the floor.

“And my love he has stolen away.”

Bang.

“Tattered…”

Bang. Bang.

“And my love he has…”

Bang.

“Torn…”

Bang.

The drip of the pipe was so loud in the silence. Like tiny mockeries of the banging. The door creaked as it was swung open, rusting hinges screaming at being moved. Jason closed his eyes.

Something crackled and then a voice broke through the static. “Status report.”

“One hostile. Terminated. East of the warehouse cleared.”

“West of the warehouse cleared.”

“South of the warehouse cleared.”

Footsteps moved across the floor. Not _his_ footsteps. His footsteps were lighter. Jason could always hear the skip in his step. He left with a shuffle but he never failed to come in with his arms swinging and a whistle on his lips.

“Agent al Ghul?”

Jason cracked one eye open. The legs were thing. Feminine. There was an ankle holster.

“Agent al Ghul?” the voice prompted.

The static cracked once before the woman in front of him finally responded. “I need assistance on the north side of the warehouse. I found something. I think he’s dead.” She had a heavy accent. Jason couldn’t quite place it above the ringing in his ears.

He lifted his head, looking up at her. She was beautiful. Jason didn’t think he’d ever seen a woman so beautiful.

“Correction. He is alive. Send a medic to the north side of the warehouse immediately,” she said. The walkie went back to her hip and she moved around to his hands. “I’m going to get these off of you. Can you hear me?”

“…tattered and torn,” Jason whispered.

“What was that?” she demanded. She was firm and gentle at the same time.

“My love he has stolen away,” Jason whispered. He cleared his throat. “Who are you?”

“Agent Talia al Ghul, Interpol,” she said. “Who are you?”

“Jason…” he said. “Jason Todd.”

“We’re going to get you out of here, Jason,” Talia said.

Jason’s chest ached in a way that had nothing to do with his broken ribs. He felt his eyes sting with tears. “Thank you.”

The cuffs fell off and Jason couldn’t find the energy in himself to stand.

“Thank you,” Jason repeated.

She tried to help him to his feet but Jason was barely halfway to standing when black blurred his vision.

Tattered and torn.

He hit the ground and then passed out into blessed darkness.

~~~

“What were his injuries?” Jason recognized that voice. Female. Accented. The woman from the warehouse. It could have been a dream except Jason hurt so damn bad. Agent Talia al Ghul. His angel.

“There were too many to name.” That voice Jason didn’t recognize at all. It sounded clipped though.

“Name them anyways, doctor,” Talia said.

A sigh. “He has two breaks in his right arm. Four in his left. There is significant shoulder damage where it appears that the joint was dislocated multiple times. He’ll be prone to having it dislocate in the future and might experience chronic pain there,” the doctor started. Then, “He’ll have a lot of chronic pain, actually.”

“What else?” Talia demanded.

“There were multiple broken ribs and all the ribs that weren’t broken were fractured. He has burns up and down his arms and legs. His right foot is broken in two places. There is significant nerve damage. Scarring on his stomach indicates that the open wounds are not new. He is malnourished and dehydrated. There was a skull fracture and evidence of several concussions. A scan of his brain determined that there was some damage in the areas that control emotion,” the doctor said. “Broken fingers. Two different strains of infection, one in his lungs and the other in his blood.” There was a pause. “I would say that he’ll be lucky to survive but… I’m not even entirely sure that would be a true statement.”

Jason could have laughed except that he was too tired to and his throat felt so raw from the constant screaming that it seemed like a pointless exercise to try.

“Leave,” Talia said.

The footsteps leading out of the room told Jason that the man was smart enough than to try and argue with her.

“I know you’re awake, Jason.”

The boy sighed and forced himself to open his eyes. “It sounds like I would be better off to not have woken back up at all. Ever.”

“He should not have said that,” she said.

Jason shrugged and then immediately regretted the action.

“Medical miracles happen every day, Jason. With treatment and physical therapy, you could lead a relatively normal life,” she said.

Jason snorted. “Save me the spiel, lady. I grew up in the system and it’s going to eat me alive and spit me out right here and now. I don’t have insurance. I don’t have a family. I don’t have anything. Which means that somewhere along the line when it gets too expensive for me to be taken care of I am going to slip right between the cracks. It’ll be an accident, maybe misfiled paperwork, but it’ll happen.” He closed his eyes again. “You should have left me there.”

“That man was an international murderer,” she said. “And he has been torturing you for the past year.”

“You can’t possibly know I was there that long,” Jason said.

“There are broken bones from several years ago,” Talia said. She didn’t go into more detail. Jason knew, Talia had clearly put it together, so there was no need to bring up Willis Todd and his stellar parenting. “But then no serious wounds until about a year ago. We couldn’t know for sure until you woke up and told us when he took you, but I would gather it was a year.”

Jason absorbed that. He had probably missed his birthday, then. Seemed silly to care, but Jason rejected the idea that his birthday had passed him by somehow without him even noticing. “Sometimes I wondered if it was just hours or decades. I couldn’t… I couldn’t tell.”

“I’m sorry.” She managed to sound sincere.

“It’s not your fault,” Jason said. “It’s mine. I got caught.”

“Do you want to tell me about how you ended up there?” Talia asked. When Jason only gave her silence, she added, “You can either tell me or the next person who comes in here asking questions. There are a lot of people very confused as to how an orphan from Gotham City managed to end up in a warehouse in Ethiopia with a serial killer.”

“Why were you looking into him anyways?” Jason asked. “I would imagine Interpol doesn’t usually chase after serial killers.”

“We’d discovered that Mr. Kerr had transferred a large sum of money to a criminal commonly known as the Bat,” Talia said.

Jason’s expression hardened. “So he gets me into this mess and gets me out of it.”

“Who?” she asked. “The Bat?”

Jason nodded. He looked down at his hands, the wires connected there, and then up further to where the IV was dumping antibiotics and fluids into his system. “He was training me, and then I was stupid enough to get caught.”

In response, there was only silence. It stretched on and on, until Jason looked up and saw the _light_ in her eyes. “You know who he is?”

Jason’s lips pressed hard against each other. He looked back down and then nodded imperceptibly.

“Can you tell me, Jason?” Talia asked. Jason shook his head. “Jason, please, if-“

“I said no.” Jason cut her off. He curled his hands into fists on his lap. “When the system failed me, the Bat took me in off the street. He gave me an education, he taught me how to fight so that I could protect myself… No, I’m not going to tell you who he is.”

“He didn’t rescue you.” That was a cruel reminder.

“He couldn’t find me,” Jason said. “The asshole you killed in that warehouse told me as much.”

Talia’s nails tapped a quiet beat against the wooden arm of the chair. “I’ll be back, Jason. If you change your mind, you only have to let us know.”

“I’m not going to change my mind,” Jason said. Bruce wasn’t a good man. He was a killer and he was practical. Jason was useful because he could learn and he could be trained and he was so desperate that he had nowhere else to turn.

Jason had no illusions that Bruce would want him now that he was going to be more of a hassle to take care of than he was worth. It might be worth it to let him know that he was alive, though. If only so that Jason could quiet that niggling bit of hope in the back of his mind telling him that maybe Bruce really had cared more than he let on, maybe he would take Jason in no matter how useless he was now.

Once Bruce told him to get lost, Jason could never regret not trying.

Jason wasn’t given a phone, but he was visited several times by different men and women in suits. They asked questions he didn’t answer and seemed to get angry when he rattled off imaginative insults about their parentage in Somali. In fact, they’d assumed that he was giving the answers just in a different language – right up until they brought the interpreter and the man relayed exactly what Jason was describing that their mothers had used to do.

Jason asked for a book at some point. They gave him one and Jason finished it the same morning. He started it again when it became clear that no one was going to replace it. He didn’t bother looking up when Talia came back into the room. He jolted when the pictures landed on Jason’s lap. It made bones and muscles ache, sensations he ignored in favor of picking up the photos. “What are these?”

“The truth about the Bat,” Talia said.

The glossy photos reflected the florescent lights above him, and beneath that shine was the figure of Bruce. He was careful with the cameras, always so careful, but it was obviously him. Jason had spent years as his partner, he could tell.

“What about him?” Jason asked.

A manicured nail pointed to another figure. At first Jason assumed that it was Dick, but the figure was too short for that and the image was too new for it to be from the past. Jason had never had that build, so the picture was obviously recent and not Jason or Dick.

Bruce had taken another apprentice.

Jason’s fingers tightened on the edge of the paper. “Who?”

“We have no idea,” Talia said. “You’d be more likely to know than we would.”

“I haven’t been with the Bat for a year,” Jason said. He threw the photo down to the edge of the bed. “That could be anyone with him.”

Talia picked up the photo and looked at it herself. “We know it’s not you.”

Salt in the wound.

Jason’s blood pumped, spreading fire through his veins at the thought of being replaced. “Get out.”

“He traded you in. You were gone and he wasted no time in finding someone else to take your place,” Talia said.

“Get out!” Jason said.

“Why are you protecting him?” Talia demanded.

The rapid beeping of the monitor keeping an eye on Jason’s vitals should have drawn a doctor in. Someone had to be keeping them out.

Jason had thrown away the photo but it was too late to prevent the image from being seared into his mind. The smaller figure. Knowing that Bruce had replaced him. Had Bruce _ever_ looked?

“I want to be there to take him down,” Jason said.

Talia’s shoulders pulled back. “Jason-“

“No,” Jason growled. “This is how this will work. If you can’t agree and make the deal, then the deal is off the table. No name for you, and I go die in the system like I’m intended to. I’m already half trained, probably more than half. If you pull the right strings, I’ll give you the name. I want in on that take down, though.”

Talia pursed her lips and then nodded. “Let me see what I can do.”

She left the photo on the foot of his bed.

~~~

**Five Years Later…**

Jason rubbed his shoulder, digging his fingers in like he could pull the pain right out. It throbbed somewhere deep in the joint and muscle and sent spears of pain down his art and across his collar bone. All of it gave him a headache and finally Jason caved. He opened the bottom cabinet and pulled out a bottle. Mostly empty, by the rattling sound. He popped the cap off and tipped it over. Two pills landed in his hand and Jason frowned into the bottle empty bottle.

He’d have to pick up more. Soon, too. Two over the counter painkillers was barely going to put a dent in the pain left from the torture he’d experienced. He swallowed them down with the last dregs of lukewarm coffee in his mug and leaned back in the office chair.

The hand coming down hard on his shoulder made him squeeze his eyes shut. He didn’t have to look up to recognize the firm grip on his shoulder. “Slade.”

“Kid,” the man replied. Another firm squeeze, fingers digging in a way that should have been painful but actually managed to do wonders to quiet the dull throb in Jason’s shoulder. “We got a case.”

Jason heard the slap of papers landing on his desk and opened his eyes as Slade’s hand moved away. He leaned forward, flipping open the file and taking in the gruesome photographs on the first page. “Wow.”

“That seems to be the general reaction,” Slade said.

Jason turned the photo over to look at the next one. Considering that Jason had suffered unimaginable pain, it said quite a bit that Jason felt a bit queasy at the sight of body. “This is…”

“Alexander Luthor, of LexCorp,” Slade said. “He was found murdered in his office this morning. The police, of course, are baffled by how anyone could manage that much carnage.”

“Who said it was any _one_?” Jason asked. “This could be the work of multiple people. This could be a science experiment gone wrong, knowing some of the crazy things that companies like this work on.”

“Lex wasn’t a bad guy. He’d worked with the company several times before,” Slade said.

“Doesn’t make him a good guy,” Dick said. “Just makes him eager to make money.”

“Lex was one of the good ones,” Slade repeated. Jason flipped through a few more photos, catching sight of a length of several feet of intestine on the other side of the room from the body. “Have to be one hell of a science experiment to go this wrong.”

That was no understatement.

The police report was succinct but dreadfully empty. Some of the writing wobbled in places, a sure sign of a shaking hand. Jason could understand, and he’d just looked at the pictures. What little the analysts had managed to piece together was added after that. Jason scanned them quickly, coming to a stop when a name listed proved to ring all the wrong sort of bells. “Hell.”

“I told you it was bad,” Slade said.

“No, that’s- I mean, yes. It _is_ bad. I’ve seen somethings almost as bad but I think this takes the cake,” Jason said. “But that’s not what I was talking about.”

“What could you have possibly seen even remotely this bad?” Slade asked.

“My…” Jason trailed off, not sure how to describe his relationship to Bruce’s first apprentice. “Older brother has quite the way with a blade.”

Slade arched an eyebrow but shook his head. “What were you talking about?”

Jason lifted his mug, frowning when he realized that the mug was empty. He set it to the side and then tapped the name again. “Kal El.”

“So?” Slade asked.

“Bruce took a job from him once,” Jason said.

There was a flash to his eyes; something that happened on rare occasion when Jason’s past and present somehow crossed paths. Slade was a seasoned agent. Jason had always known that they’d assigned Jason to him in part to keep an eye on Jason and in part because there was always a chance that Jason knew things. Things even he didn’t know he knew. They needed someone sharp enough to catch those.

“What?” Jason asked, with a sigh.

“We don’t have much information on the man. We’re not even entirely sure that he _is_ a man. The name popped up around a drug cartel several years back and we thought nothing of it. Then he expanded his reach. He’s got a finger in drugs, guns, human trafficking, gambling. It just keeps spreading,” Slade said. “What do you know about him?”

Sounded exactly like the kind of prime specimen that Bruce took jobs from. “Not much. It was back when I first started training. I didn’t go on the job and I was still considered a flight risk so Bruce called Dick back to babysit me.”

“What about the butler?” Slade asked.

“Away on vacation,” Jason said. “Trust me. Bruce wouldn’t have left me with Dick unless he absolutely had to.”

“Sibling rivalry?” Slade asked.

Jason considered before replying, “Something like that.” Slade didn’t probe. “Bruce keeps those sorts of files about his clients, even years after he’s finished the job.”

“Great,” Slade said.

“What about that is great?” Jason asked.

“I don’t think you understand, kid. This man is top ten threats,” Slade said. “You’re telling me that you know where to get more information about him? That’s the best kind of news.”

“And you know that after the thing with my replacement, Bruce told me he’d put me six feet underground himself if he caught me anywhere near Gotham,” Jason said. “He’s not going to nod his head as I dig through his computer files.”

“Where’s your sense of creativity?” Slade asked. “Close your mouth and use your brain. Surely that’s not the best plan that you can come up with. You know the house better than anyone.”

Jason snorted. “Not anyone. Alfred has been there even longer than Bruce has and Dick-“ He cut off, falling silent.

Slade chuckled. “Got an idea?”

“Shut up,” Jason said, standing.

Slade followed suit.

Roy was most definitely the kind of person to get lost in his work. It was no surprise to Jason that it took Roy an hour to respond to the message that Jason had left on his voicemail. “What favor can I do you this time?”

Jason made a face. “I call you for things other than favors.”

“You keep telling yourself that, Jay,” Roy said.

“I do,” Jason defended.

“Alright, fine. What did you want to call about?” Roy asked.

Jason chewed on the inside of his cheek. “Fine. _This time_ I need a favor, but it’s not like I make a habit of it.”

Roy sighed. “What favor can I do you this time?”

Jason made a mental note to try and call Roy for things other than work. He’d been getting more absorbed in these cases, trying to get enough to take Bruce down after his last failure. His personal life had clearly suffered, and Jason didn’t have much of a personal life to start with. “Dick.”

“I have one,” Roy said. “Are you asking to use it?”

“You’re hilarious,” Jason said dryly. “You know which Dick I’m talking about. If anyone can find out what jobs he’s been taking, it’s you. I need to know where to find him.”

“Did the CIA finally greenlight you to put him down once and for all?” Roy asked. “If that’s the case, I’ll exchange his location for the opportunity to film it.”

“You’re not supposed to know I work for the CIA,” Jason said.

Roy scoffed. “Okay.”

Jason rubbed his temple. “As a matter of fact, I am not attempting to kill Dick. I need him to do something for me. The only way to do that is to give him no other option.”

“Your brother isn’t a kindness from the bottom of his generous little heart kind of guy,” Roy agreed. “Fine. Whatever. Give me about ten and then I’ll have his next few locations for you.”

“Thank you, Roy,” Jason said.

“Keep that in mind the next time I need something from you,” Roy said.

Ten minutes later, Jason’s phone buzzed with the next few jobs that Dick had in queue. Jason pulled up the information they had on each of those people and weighed his chances in each instance.

“Well?” Slade asked.

Jason set a paper down on his desk. “Dick is going to be attempting to take this man out in a week. I suggest that we set up shop and wait for him to show. When he goes in for the kill, we can arrest him for attempted murder. It’s a lowball, but with enough pressure I think we could probably convince him to get the information we need without us ever stepping foot in the Manor. He gets a pardon for his attempted murder and you get Kal El’s information.”

“Let Grayson go?” Slade asked.

“To get the bigger fish,” Jason said. “I thought that’s what you’d want.”

“It is,” Slade said. “But you’ve always been very adamant about putting them all away.”

Jason clenched his jaw. “I still want to put them away but this is… this is important. Dickie can slide one more time, and then we can work on them. For now, Kal El. This is our chance to get the information we need to take _him_ down.”

“I’ll clear the stake out,” Slade said. “It’s good, kid. Nothing wrong with a bit of prioritizing. Looks like a pup can learn new tricks after all.”

“That’s not how the saying goes,” Jason pointed out.

“That’s how it works around you,” Slade said, before walking away.

Jason looked down at the paper and then went to clear his schedule for this.

~~~

Dick’s mark wasn’t working with much light, just a desk lamp to illuminate that part of his office. It gave them enough light to see him bent over the desk and working. From time to time he would lean back and yawn, only to bend back over the desk.

“I didn’t ask back at headquarters-” Slade started. Jason sighed before he could get any further. “But when you were talking about your brother…”

“It’s not like you to be vague,” Jason said.

“Fair enough. What’s the story?” Slade asked.

Jason lowered the binoculars as the man yawned again. “Dick was seventeen when Bruce took me in. He had already moved out about two or three months earlier, so I didn’t see him all that often.” Slade didn’t speak. “Bruce didn’t seem to let go as easily as Dick did.”

“What does that mean?” Slade asked.

“There was always…” Jason trailed off. “Bruce held him up on a pedestal. Dick is just really good at everything he does. He’s a natural and I was never much interested in the job.”

“You’re damn good. You were damn good by the time you got handed off to us by Agent al Ghul,” Slade said.

“Dick is better,” Jason said. “Or maybe he isn’t anymore. I haven’t exactly gone up against him recently. He was better _then_ , though. Nothing I could ever do was ever as good as Dick and I resented him for it.”

“So, sibling rivalry,” Slade said.

“Something like that,” Jason said.

Slade arched an eyebrow. “That’s what you said last time.”

“Dick and I were never siblings,” Jason said. “I might call him my brother, we might have been raised and trained by the same man – but the family thing was really Bruce. He’s real big on loyalty.”

“How far you’ve fallen from grace,” Slade replied. Jason snorted. “So that’s it? A little not sibling rivalry and more daddy issues than even I can lay claim to?”

Jason scowled. “That’s it.”

“I don’t believe you,” Slade said.

In the back of Jason’s mind, he could hear Dick’s husky whisper saying the same thing. Lips pressed right under his ear, voice hoarse. “It’s the truth.”

Slade hummed and Jason took that as a good opening to lift his binoculars back up and look at the window. The man hadn’t moved, still bent over the desk. “Dick needs to make his move quickly. I’m getting tired of waiting.”

“How sure are you that he’ll even come?” Slade asked.

“Positive. He took the first half of the payment. It’s bad business not to complete a job,” Jason said. “He’ll show.”

“Could he have made us?” Slade asked.

Jason considered and then shrugged. “Maybe. Not likely, but maybe. Even still, Dick is an adrenaline junkie and he’s _good_. He’ll show.”

“If he’s so good, how are you so sure that we can catch him?” Slade leaned back in his chair.

“Because I’ve had a lot of training since Dick last pinned me to the mats, and there’s two of us,” Jason said. He glanced at his watch. “He should have showed already.”

“Getting late…” Slade said.

Jason clenched his jaw. “At this point, he has to be inside.”

“We should have seen it,” Slade said.

“He’s good,” Jason said. “Underestimating an opponent is the first step to making a mistake. Let’s move to the building.”

“If he’s not there, we’ll show our hand,” Slade said.

“He’s there,” Jason said. “I’m telling you, we need to move.”

Slade watched him, piercing blue and then shrugged. “Your call then, kid. Let’s move.”

The building was mostly shut down for the night. The man in the office was one of three people left in the building, not including Jason and Slade. Or Dick, if Jason was right and his brother was still in here.

“This just feels wrong,” Jason said. “He should have been here. If he was smart, he’d have gone in for the kill ten minutes ago. It’s the most open the security will be for another hour and then you run the risk of running into the cleaning crew when they come in.”

“Take a left,” Slade said. “It takes us past the office. We can get a quick look inside.”

Jason followed Slade’s directions, following him up the stairs. Jason took the end of the hall and let Slade walk down to look through the window of the office door.

“God damn it,” Slade hissed, throwing the door open.

Jason frowned and then jogged down the hall after him, stopping in the doorway. From their position on the other side of the street, it looked like the man was bent over his desk. From this position, the light from the desk lamp made the red blood on the throwing knife shine. He would have died instantly, Dick was an expert with blades.

“Fuck,” Jason whispered. “We missed him.”

“We didn’t even see him,” Slade said. “He wouldn’t have had to do anything but crack open the door as long as he hit his mark. It’s in the shadows.”

Jason slammed his fist on the desk. Pencils rolled off the sides and the desk lamp fell over, casting light directly on the blade buried in the man’s heart. “Damn it.” He dragged a hand through his hair. “He made us. He had to. Dick loves getting close. He wouldn’t have done this unless he was worried about getting caught.”

“You can catch the moon glinting off the glass in your binoculars.”

Jason spun and Slade drew his gun. Dick was leaned in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest. Dressed in black, with his weapons strapped over his body – he looked lethal. Jason didn’t bother pulling his gun. Dick was close enough to disarm him before he could get it pulled and then Slade would fire. It could all too easily turn into a mess.

“You could have been long gone,” Jason said.

“I wanted to see who was trying to catch me in the act,” Dick said. “You can imagine my surprise when I saw you, Little Wing.”

“This can’t be all that surprising,” Jason said.

“I thought you’d backed off after the last time we ran into each other,” Dick said. He stepped forward and heard the gun click. The next step was slower and he lifted his hands up in surrender. “I’m not holding a weapon.”

“That doesn’t make you any less dangerous,” Jason pointed out.

“You’re not wrong,” Dick said with a chuckle. Jason still let him approach, standing face to face. Just like last time, Jason marveled at the few precious inches he had over Dick now. “I missed you.”

“I’m here to arrest you, Dick,” Jason said. “You had to know that.”

Dick’s hand settled on Jason’s shoulder and Slade growled. “Get your hands off of him.”

“You lost your clear shot at me five seconds ago,” Dick said. “If you fire, you’re going to hit Jason and then I’m going to put you down.” He slid his hand up around the back of Jason’s neck and then pulled him into a kiss.

Jason should have resisted, but he’d never been very good at telling Dick no.

Dick smiled when he pulled back. “I really missed you, Little Wing.”

“I’m still going to arrest you,” Jason said.

Dick slid gracefully to his knees. His hands moved slowly but finally settled on the back of his head. “Arrest away.”

Slade stepped forward and Jason stopped him with a hand. “I do this or he’ll stop cooperating.” He pulled the handcuffs out and tightened them behind Dick’s back. “Richard Grayson, you’re under arrest. Anything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law…”

Dick looked like the epitome of calm in the back of the car. Slade frowned. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a sibling rivalry that looked like that.”

Jason’s lips still tingled. “Just drive us back. I want this over as soon as possible.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm alive. Special shoutout to NickyHaunter who is probably 80% of the reason you got a chapter today. Merry Christmas, Nicky. Or whatever winter holiday you celebrate if you celebrate one.

“Did you miss me, Little Wing?” Dick asked from the backseat.

The radio was so quiet that the song might as well have been white noise for all that Jason could make out of it. His silence was all the response he planned to give Dick right up until the man kicked the back of his chair like an errant toddler.

“I’m talking to you,” Dick said. “I asked if you missed me.”

More silence.

“Little Wing, I’m talking to you,” Dick said. “Please stop ignoring me.”

Jason caught Slade looking at him and averted his gaze, forcing them onto the dotted yellow line down the center of the road that blurred into a single line from the speed of the car.

“Jason, you know how much I hate being ignored,” Dick said.

Nothing.

“Why were you looking for me?” Dick asked. When that provoked no response either, he continued, “ _Little Wing_ , _what_ were you _doing_ looking for _me_?” He punctuated some of the words with a sharp kick to the back of Jason’s chair, snarling when Jason didn’t answer. The vicious sound rolled off into laughter when Jason didn’t bite and then the man turned his attention to Slade instead. “Who are you?”

Slade glanced at Jason again, who steadfastly ignored him, but then returned his eyes to the road. “Special Agent Slade Wilson.”

“Special Agent,” Dick repeated, mock impressed. “Do you get the fancy title, Little Wing? _Special Agent_ Jason Todd.”

No response.

Dick’s smile grew tighter from being ignored. “Little Wing?”

“Yes,” Slade said. “Special Agent Jason Todd.”

“How long have you worked with Jason?” Dick asked, latching on to the person who was giving him the answers he wanted.

“Since he started with the agency,” Slade said.

“That’s a very long time,” Dick said. “What were you? Thirteen? Seventeen?”

“I was fifteen, _dick_ ,” Jason said. “But I’m not surprised that you don’t remember.”

Dick’s smile widened as he finally got his response. “That’s right. Fifteen. Kept needling me to teach you how to drive because Bruce was such a stickler for the rules. Couldn’t have you getting caught driving without a license.” But had no problem teaching him how to kill. The hypocrisy of it had always seemed to drive Jason up the wall.

Jason fell silent again.

“It was sweet,” Dick said. “The way you’d beg me just to let you _sit_ in the driver’s seat, remind me that it would be _our_ little secret. That wasn’t the only thing that was our little secret though, was it?”

Jason’s teeth grinded together so hard that it was almost audible from Dick’s placement in the backseat.

“ _Little Wing_ ,” Dick dragged out the nickname.

Slade’s hands tightened around the steering wheel. “What are you talking about?”

Dick arched an eyebrow, leaning back against the seat. “I think you know exactly what I’m talking about, Special Agent Slade Wilson. You work with Jason every day. He’s a pretty thing, isn’t he? B is good at picking the pretty ones.”

“Shut up, Dick,” Jason snapped.

“You’ve seen Tim,” Dick continued. “Right, Special Agent Wilson? Hasn’t anyone ever whispered about what the Bat must have done with his black haired blue eyed boys? Maybe you’ve considered what a criminal would do left alone with a helpless boy like that?”

“Bruce wasn’t the danger though, was he?” Jason asked. He didn’t look back but he didn’t have to. Dick had always been too good at reading him.

Dick leaned forward, feeding on Jason’s expressions and reactions now that Jason had risen to the bait. “Aw, Little Wing. You _did_ miss me, didn’t you?”

Jason unclipped his seatbelt and twisted. The car gave an anxious little jingle that was promptly ignored. “I need you to understand what’s happening, Dick. Look at me. You are being arrested. We have you on murder and now that we have you, we can break down every door that even looks like it has your name on it. I’m going to drag all the skeletons out of your closet-“

“Hope you’ve got some time because that is a hell of a lot of skeletons,” Dick muttered.

“-and I’m going to lay them at your feet until you’re drowning in a sea of bones,” Jason said. “You could get the needle, Dick.”

With Jason leaned so far into the backseat, Dick only had to lean forward to steal another kiss. And Jason didn’t pull away, because he couldn’t. He never could. He inhaled deeply when Dick finally let him breathe again and his eyes snapped open.

“You won’t let them kill me,” Dick whispered, still close enough to Jason for him to feel Dick’s breath on his lips with every word.

“You’re wrong,” Jason said. He took a seat again and quieted the beeping of the car by clicking his seatbelt again. “I hope you realize that soon. Give you time to accept it.”

“You won’t let them kill me,” Dick repeated.

“I’ll plunge in the needle myself,” Jason lied. Dick knew him so well, too well.

But Dick fell silent after that.

~~~

Slade had Dick gripped by the shoulder. He squeezed and brought them both to a stop, putting an arm across Jason’s chest.

“What the hell, Slade?” Jason demanded.

“I’m pulling rank, kid. Go grab a coffee, take a break, you don’t need to be in that room,” Slade said.

Jason scoffed. “How about you go fuck yourself? This whole thing was me.”

“And you’re too damn close to it,” Slade said.

“You think you’re going to get a damn thing out of me without Jason there?” Dick asked. He laughed, even as Slade used his grip on Dick’s shoulder to shake him.

“You wouldn’t have him if I hadn’t served him up to you on a silver platter. You’re not keeping me out. This is my collar, my family, my call,” Jason said.

“Not today it isn’t,” Slade said. “Back down, or I can go get someone to back you down.”

Jason’s chest heaved and he curled his lip back. “You son of a bitch.” He cast a look at Dick and then stepped back. “Fuck you, Slade. This is bullshit.”

Dick watched Jason walk away. He stepped forward, only to be yanked back against Slade’s chest.

“Kid needs some space to get you out of his head,” Slade said. He pushed on Dick to get him moving. “You and the Bat really fucked that kid up you know that.”

“You have no idea who you work with, do you?” Dick demanded. He looked over his shoulder, but Jason was out of sight.

“I know that he was fifteen years old when you turned him into a killer,” Slade said. “Anything after that shouldn’t need to come up in a court of law.”

~~~

If the clock on the wall could be trusted for its accuracy, a questionable statement if there ever was one, then they had kept Dick in here for the past three hours. Three hours was nothing compared to the hours and hours that Bruce would have them perched in the most uncomfortable positions, waiting out a mark in order to complete a job – but that was hunting, stalking prey and knowing you’d be soaking in their blood made the wait worth it.

Sitting with his hands cuffed to the table and watching the second hand tick around and around and around the clock was _mind numbingly_ boring.

Dick sank down further into the chair. He wanted Jason back. Seeing the boy, all grown up now, had been a shock to the system. Little Wing wasn’t so little any more. There was so much that was different, and yet in the soft press of lips carrying the faintest taste of ash Dick could find the boy he’d held in his arms all those years ago. Not so much had changed that Jason didn’t still touch him gently, firm enough for Dick to remember every grip and embrace but without any intention to hurt. Jason had always touched Dick like he was something to be treasured.

Just seeing him had made Dick throw out everything that had changed. As if Jason hadn’t nearly killed them all, as if he hadn’t orchestrated everything to get Dick chained to this table, and now Dick _was_ chained to the table and Jason was describing just how he was going to tear down Dick’s whole world before he personally put him down like a rabid dog.

Still Dick wanted nothing more than to get on his knees and give Jason every reason to want to come home.

The door opened and Dick picked up his head. The white haired man, one eye short of a true death glare, and Dick used the very minimal slack in the chain to curl his hands together and rest his chin on top. “Get bored looking at my pretty face?”

“Kind of forgot you were in here to be honest,” Slade said.

Dick’s lips twitched. “That might work on someone else, but I know exactly how much I make you and your people twitch just being here. I’m the biggest catch you’ve ever managed to fish out of the river.”

Slade took a seat across from Dick. “We’ve got you on murder.”

“Only because I all but turned myself in,” Dick said. “Credit where credit is due.”

“Even as we speak, we have agents going to every place you’ve ever laid your head down,” Slade said.

“Short list,” Dick said. “I don’t make a habit of making myself vulnerable.”

“And yet you turned yourself over to Jason,” Slade said.

It took real effort not to tense at that. “He’s my brother.”

“Never had a sibling myself,” Slade said. “But I don’t know that I’d be swapping spit with mine.”

Dick shrugged. “Don’t knock it ‘til you try it, I’d say. Might like it more than you think.”

“Cute,” Slade said. “I think it’s got a hell of a lot less to do with any familial bond and more to do with whatever you did to Jason’s head.”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Dick asked.

“You think I enjoy knowing how much you played with Jason when he was a kid?” Slade asked.

Dick tugged on the cuffs so that the chains clinked. “I think you enjoy the idea of _justifying_ his bloodthirst. It’s easier to stomach how much he enjoys getting his hands dirty if you can blame the Bat or me. Jason cut a man open from groin to throat because I bounced him on my lap when he was younger. Jason takes a few extra shots to draw out a death and it’s because I let him warm my bed a few times?”

“You’re a pedophile,” Slade said.

“And you’re name calling,” Dick replied. “Does that qualify as a legitimate interrogation technique now?”

“You’re a murderer and a thief-“

Dick arched an eyebrow. “Flattery will get you everywhere.”

“And you’re going to go down for your crimes,” Slade finished.

Dick hummed, blue eyes scanning Slade’s face for a long moment. “Go down on whom?”

Slade sneered at the turn of phrase.

“You should have let Jason come in and talk to me,” Dick said. “Let me see him.”

“No,” Slade said.

“Then I think we’re done here,” Dick said.

Slade crossed his arms over his chest. “That’s not your decision to make. I’m not going anywhere until I get the information I want.”

Dick shrugged and leaned back in the chair. “I can wait.”

“Can you?” Slade asked.

“I’ve waited for Jason this long,” Dick pointed out.

~~~

“I ordered you a coffee,” Roy said.

“I think I need something stronger than a coffee,” Jason said. “Unless you’re about to tell me that coffee has a shot of whiskey floating in there, in which case thanks.”

“Sorry. The barista said they just ran out of Daniels before you got here. Just straight coffee,” Roy said, pushing the cup closer to him.

Jason dragged a hand down his face but took the cup. He took a sip, grateful for the bitterness. “Thanks.”

“Anytime,” Roy said. “How did it go?”

“Fine,” Jason said. “We lost the mark but he wasn’t exactly a real winner of a guy anyways. I’m not broken up about the loss.”

“It’s incredible that they let you keep working for the good guys when you talk like that,” Roy said.

Jason snorted. “I’m good at what I do.”

“Still…” Roy trailed off.

“We arrested Dick,” Jason said. “He walked right in and just turned himself over.”

Roy shook his cup, swirling the coffee to pick up the cream and sugar that had settled at the bottom. “Is that so?”

“Yeah,” Jason said. He rubbed his thumb over the opening at the top of the plastic lid, picking up the condensation and then sucking it off his thumb. “He’s not going to cooperate.”

“Of course not,” Roy said.

“I tried to tell Slade. He wouldn’t listen. Told me to get out of there,” Jason said. “But Dick isn’t going to cooperate.”

“You want my opinion?” Roy asked.

Jason sighed. “I don’t know. Do I want your opinion?”

“Probably not,” Roy said.

“Tell me anyways,” Jason said.

“You’re a glutton for punishment,” Roy replied. He paused and then, “I think he’s right.”

“Dick?” Jason asked.

“Slade,” Roy said. “I think you don’t need to be in there.”

“He’s not going to cooperate,” Jason said.

“My opinion, my priorities. I don’t care what you are using Dick to get. I know that he’s no good for you and you’d be better off without him,” Roy said. “So I think Slade is right. I’d want you as far away as possible from Dick if it was up to me.”

“It’s not up to you,” Jason said.

“It’s up to Slade,” Roy countered.

Jason’s lips thinned. He took another sip, careful to avoid burning the tip of his tongue. “He’s not going to cooperate.”

“So you’ve said,” Roy said. “Why don’t you just fucking tell me what’s really bothering you.”

“That _is_ what’s bothering-“

“Jason,” Roy interrupted. “Be honest with me, and if you can’t do that then acknowledge that you’re not being honest with yourself.”

Jason’s fingers tapped on the side of the cup. “This whole thing was my idea.”

“And?” Roy asked.

“It’s Dick, damn it. I should be in on this,” Jason said. “Because he won’t cooperate and because it was my idea and because it’s Dick and that alone should be enough to earn me the right to sit across from him and get the answers I want.”

“Even if it’s not good for you?” Roy asked.

“Even then,” Jason said. “Especially then. I want in on this, Roy. This is bullshit.”

“There was a time when you wouldn’t have let some suit tell you what to do,” Roy said.

That was back when Jason was young and defiant. Jason’s father had died in jail, his mother had died from a needle in her arm, and Jason had been on his own long enough to realize that the system was shit and the people who worked for it weren’t much better.

“Things change?” Jason asked.

Roy arched an eyebrow. “Do they?”

Jason was quiet. He hated how well Roy knew him, as much as he loved having someone who knew him so well. “He isn’t going to cooperate.”

Roy finished off his coffee and shook his head.

~~~

“I thought I told you to stay the hell away,” Slade said.

“Fuck off,” Jason snapped. He crossed his arms, looking into the room and watching some suit try to interrogate Dick. Try being the operative word. Dick had his head against the table. With the next question, Dick banged his head against the metal. “I see you’ve had all sorts of luck in my absence.”

“They’ll break him down,” Slade said.

“No they won’t,” Jason said. “Dick is better than that.”

“His patience is wearing,” Slade said, jerking his chin at Dick still banging his head against the table.

“No it isn’t,” Jason said. “He’s acting. He’s putting on a show so that you think you’re winning. You’re not going to get anywhere and the longer you put it off, the more time we waste.”

“You don’t know that,” Slade said.

“I know him better than any of you do, and I know when he’s acting. He’s acting,” Jason said.

“Let him in.”

Jason very rarely interacted with anyone above Slade. Slade was Jason’s handler, for all intents and purposes. Slade dealt with the big wigs and Jason just tried not to piss anyone off so badly he wasn’t allowed to stay on the field. It worked for them, but it meant that Jason didn’t even _recognize_ this woman.

Slade sure as hell did though. “I don’t think that’s all that wise, to be honest.”

“I don’t remember asking if you thought it was wise, Special Agent Wilson,” she replied. “Let him in.”

A tic worked in Slade’s jaw. He pushed a button below the two way mirror, however, and the man inside stood.

“This conversation isn’t over,” the agent said.

“I am desperately looking forward to your return,” Dick said dryly.

Dick laid his head down against the table after the door closed.

“What?” the agent demanded. “I was making progress.”

“You weren’t making shit,” Jason said.

The agent stiffened. “Who the hell do you think you are?”

Jason pushed the agent to the side and put his hand around the doorknob. He hesitated only for a moment, and then twisted it to open the door.

“You’re back soon,” Dick said.

Jason closed the door behind him. “A little bird told me that you asked for me.”

Dick snapped up so quickly that Jason thought he might need to worry about whiplash. “Jay…”

“It was starting to look like you might just crack,” Jason said.

Dick’s nose wrinkled. “You know me better than that, Little Wing. I could have waited them out easy.”

Jason knew it, but he liked knowing that he was right and he liked other people knowing he was right even more.

“We need to talk, Dick,” Jason said. He took a seat across from Dick.

“I think you’ve done enough talking,” Dick said. “You made your stance pretty clear in the car. Pulling out all my skeletons, setting me up for the death penalty.”

“Bruce would pull you out,” Jason said.

“Bruce might decide that if I can get myself into a situation I can pull myself out,” Dick said.

“Is he right?” Jason asked.

“I suppose we’ll see,” Dick said.

Jason tapped his fingers against the table. “What if we didn’t have to?”

“What if you came home and joined your family again?” Dick asked.

Jason’s hand curled into a fist. “We were never family, Dick.”

“Sure we were. Maybe not the conventional use of the word but we were family,” Dick said. “I’m still your big brother, Little Wing. No matter how many times I bent you over and-“

“Dick,” Jason snapped, uncomfortably aware of Slade and the head honcho and the agents on the other side of the glass. “Drop the act. I deserve better because I know you.”

Dick’s easy smile faded. The sparkle of light in his eyes disappeared and all that remained was a penetrating blue eyed gaze. “You want reality, Little Wing?”

“Yes, Dick, I would,” Jason said.

Dick pushed down with both hands on the table and vaulted over  to slam his foot into Jason’s chest. Jason’s chair tipped back and he hit the ground hard, not having a chance to get up before Dick’s hands came down on either side of Jason’s head. The chain pressed down against Jason’s neck, digging into the skin and forcing Jason to tip his head back. Dick uncurled his fingers on one hand and let the screws roll across the floor.

“What did you use to get the look unscrewed from the table?” Jason asked, much calmer than most would have been in the situation.

“The side of the handcuff,” Dick said.

“Just like Bruce taught us,” Jason said.

Dick’s smile was all teeth, predatory and threatening. “Guess you haven’t forgotten everything.”

“I haven’t forgotten anything,” Jason said.

“Where are the keys?” Dick asked, eyes flicking to the door.

“They’re not coming in. You could kill me before they made it through the door and they know it,” Jason said.

Dick didn’t trust him. He used to. “Where are the keys?”

“Left pocket,” Jason said. He’d plucked them from Slade’s pocket out there, in case he needed to leverage some favor with Dick. Looks like that was a good plan.

Dick sat back, digging his hands into Jason’s pocket to pull out the keys. Jason stayed still until Dick had the first wrist unlocked and then sat up and slammed his fist into Dick’s cheek. Dick’s head snapped to the side and Jason rolled them over. He caught the free cuff in his hand and yanked, pulling Dick’s remaining trapped wrist with the action. Dick followed the motion and let Jason provide the majority of the force behind the punch he delivered to his face. He followed it with an elbow that caught the corner of Jason’s eye. The scuffle brought Jason under the table and he kicked out. Dick caught the ankle and yanked. Jason heard a loud pop and worried for a moment that Dick had just dislocated his ankle. There was no pain, however, and Jason caught on belatedly that it was his own damn thumb that Dick had dislocated so he could escape the cuffs.

He stood and Jason watched the door open. Dick kicked it closed before they could get it open enough to keep him from doing so and then propped Jason’s fallen chair under the handle. Someone threw their body against the door and it jolted but the chair held.

Dick popped his thumb back into place and then his eyes snapped over to Jason. He grabbed Jason’s ankle again and surprise kept Jason from crawling back fast enough to keep from getting dragged over. Dick grabbed the front of his shirt and dragged Jason up to his feet, pressing his back against the mirror.

Another thump against the door and Jason could make out Slade’s muffled shouting. It was sort of distant, though, and quiet compared to his and Dick’s heavy breathing. “Dick-“

“Shhh,” Dick whispered. He tugged Jason’s shirt out from where it was tucked into his pants and then fingers ghosted over the skin there.

“Dick,” Jason said. He wrapped both hands around Dick’s wrist, the one with a death grip on Jason’s shirt. “Dick, stop.”

“You wanted to talk, Jason,” Dick said. “You wanted me to stop acting. Then talk, but then we’re going to have a conversation the way I want to have a conversation. Now, what was this about not needing to pull all my skeletons out of the closet?”

This close, Jason was so overtaken by the memory and how little Dick had changed. He was still so damn beautiful. Most men couldn’t be called beautiful the way Dick could, not without looking feminine. Dick could have had statues carved from marble in his honor and they would have fit in among the sculptures of Adonis.

“We have a bigger fish to fry,” Jason said. He shouldn’t be letting Dick in on the plan already, but it was hard to think when Dick was so goddamn beautiful right in front of his face and his fingers were tracing each new scar like Dick was committing each one to memory. “We need access to Bruce’s information, and you’re the only person I knew who could get it.”

“You thought I’d get you in for a pardon?” Dick asked.

“No,” Jason admitted. That answer brought a small smile to Dick’s lips. “But I had to tell the agency something.”

“Then what did you think was going to happen?” Dick asked.

“This,” Jason said. “Or something else. I hoped you would do it for me.”

Dick’s fingers dug in and Jason clenched his jaw at the pain. “I’m not a toy for you to play with, Little Wing.”

“I never thought you were,” Jason said. He closed his eyes when Dick popped open Jason’s pants and let his fingers move lower. “Dick-“

“Jason,” Dick countered.

“Bluebird,” Jason whispered.

Dick’s fingers stilled. “You haven’t called me that in a long time.”

Jason hadn’t been touched by Dick in a long time either.

“You could have just asked,” Dick said.

“I didn’t think you would say yes if I just asked,” Jason said. “It’s been a long time.”

Dick pulled his hand away and Jason _throbbed_ at being abandoned. “What happens when you catch your big fish?”

“Nothing,” Jason said. He met Dick’s gaze. “Things go back to the way they were.”

Dick blinked and then stepped back, laughing. The smile was so bitter, though. “Fuck you, Jason. Fuck you.”

Jason didn’t meet his eyes, focusing on zipping up his pants again and fixing his shirt as best he could.

“I don’t know what’s worse,” Dick said. “That you think I’ll follow your Pied Piper and give you what you want for nothing or…”

“Or?” Jason asked, when Dick trailed off.

Dick spread his arms out. “Or that you’re right.” He kicked the chair away from the door so the others could step in. He lifted his hands up, knowing it wouldn’t be long before they put him back in cuffs. “Fuck you, Jason.”

Jason couldn’t even argue.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to post this last night, trying to stick to a Tuesday update schedule where /something/ gets posted every Tuesday but then I forgot.
> 
> On my second week.
> 
> Wish me luck next week. Hope you enjoy.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Grayson,” she said. Dick rolled his eyes. “My name is Adeline Kane, acting Director of Operations.”

“I didn’t ask because I didn’t care,” Dick said.

Director Kane leaned against the table. “Mr. Todd claims that you’re willing to cooperate.”

“I am,” Dick said. “I’ll get you the information you need and then I walk. That’s the deal we agreed to.”

“Then a bit of respect wouldn’t be out of the question,” she said.

Dick tipped the chair back. “I have a very short list of people I respect, _Director Kane_. I respect Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth, and my Mom and Dad – may they rest in peace. If you were paying attention you’ll notice that you’re not on that list so you don’t get to tell me what to do.”

Her fingers curled around the edge of the table and a pair of champagne glossed lips pressed together. “Mr. Grayson-“

“Dick,” Jason said.

“I don’t owe her anything,” Dick said. He lifted his wrists so that the chains jangled. “I have played ball for you, Little Wing. Time to meet me halfway.”

Jason blew out a breath and elbowed Slade in the side. The man narrowed his eyes on Jason. “What?”

“Unlock him,” Jason said.

“Fat chance,” Slade grumbled.

Jason lowered his arm. “Slade, he’s right. He’s worked with us-“

“So far all he’s done is kill someone, mock us, and molest you,” Slade said. “He hasn’t proven his worth in the least.”

“Molest is a pretty strong word,” Dick said.

“Enough,” Director Kane said. “Special Agent Wilson, unlock the prisoner.”

“Excuse me?” Slade demanded.

“I don’t like to repeat myself,” she said.

The silent stare down between them was palpable. Dick leaned forward. “She doesn’t like to repeat herself, Special Agent Wilson.”

The sound of Slade grinding his teeth together was audible. He pulled the keys out and handed them to Jason. “Here. Hope you don’t regret it.”

Jason reached over and unlocked Dick’s wrists which the man proceeded to rub. “Listen, Dick, we need you to go back to Bruce and get the information. Then you come back, turn it over, and we’re done.”

“We’ll assign you a chaperone,” Director Kane said.

“A chaperone,” Dick repeated. “No.”

“It wasn’t optional,” she replied.

“Then I’m taking Jason,” Dick said.

Jason stiffened. “No. I’m not going back home with you.”

“Damn straight you’re not,” Slade muttered.

Dick shrugged. “Then I go alone.”

“ _No,_ ” Director Kane said.

Dick dropped his hands into his lap. “Jason, no one, or no information. You can’t force me to go home and get the information.”

“I can press charges against you,” she said.

Dick snorted. “Go ahead. If I die, you and your people will still not have the information that you need.”

Director Kane took a deep breath. “Mr. Grayson, this is not something that I can compromise on. You cannot be unattended. Jason cannot go with you.”

“Then good luck getting the information you need,” Dick said. “You’re not going to get it from me.”

Director Kane straightened. “Special Agents Wilson and Todd, if I can speak with you outside.”

“I take it I’m not invited?” Dick asked.

He was promptly ignored as Slade stood and followed, and Jason stood and followed right after that.

Jason shut the door behind him. “He’s not playing around. He’ll wait us out.”

“That’s what I was afraid of,” Director Kane said.

“Doesn’t mean we just bend over and let him screw us from behind. He can’t be trusted,” Slade said. “He’ll sooner turn on us than aid us in a damn thing if we let him go alone.”

“Alone wasn’t our only option,” Director Kane said. Her eyes went to Jason who immediately tensed up.

“No,” he said. “I know what you’re thinking and I’m not running him back to Bruce.”

“He’s not going to let us put anyone else on him, and Special Agent Wilson is right,” she replied. “If we let him go on his own, he’ll turn on us.”

“Bruce will slaughter me if I go back,” Jason said. “You’re sending me on a suicide mission.”

“I have no doubt that you are fully capable of protecting yourself, Special Agent Todd,” Director Kane said.

Slade shook his head. “The kid is right. The last time we tried to get Wayne with the kid, it damn near cost us our lives. I’m not sending him back to that psychopath, or with the sick fuck we have locked up in that room.”

Director Kane narrowed her eyes at Slade. Jason watched her eyes. They were calculating, considering, and Jason knew he wasn’t going to like whatever she had to say before she even opened her mouth. “It’s not your call, Slade.”

“Addy-“

“No,” she said. Jason flickered his eyes between the two, catching the use of familiar names and wondering what that could mean before she continued. “Special Agent Todd, this is a direct order. You are to accompany Mr. Grayson to get the information we need and then return.”

“Barring my death,” Jason muttered. “Which would definitely inhibit my ability to do that for you.”

“I have full confidence in you,” she said. “Special Agent Wilson, prepare them and then send them on their way. I want this whole ordeal done as quickly as possible. Am I understood?”

Slade’s lips thinned and Jason could see the rage held back behind his good eye. He cleared his throat, stepping in between them so that Slade wouldn’t get into trouble. Jason knew there had been times that Slade put his ass in the sling so that Jason could avoid getting the third degree from the red tape committee – time for Jason to return the favor. “We understand, Director.”

“Good,” she said, never removing her gaze from Slade. She turned on her heel and walked away.

Jason elbowed Slade in the chest. “What was that about?”

“What was what about?” Slade asked gruffly. Jason wasn’t fooled for a second.

“Addy?” Jason prompted. “I’m not deaf _or_ stupid, believe it or not.”

“Could have fooled me on the stupid, boy,” Slade said. Jason arched an eyebrow. Slade shook his head. “You got your secrets, kid. I’ve got mine. You ready for this?”

“Not even a little,” Jason replied. He glanced back at the room and Dick twirling the now unlocked cuffs around his finger.

Walking back in had Dick perking up and setting the cuffs down. “Looks like you forgot someone.”

“Director Kane had more important things to deal with,” Slade said. This response earned him a childish tongue out from Dick. “We’ve made a decision on your condition.”

Dick’s lips quirked, leaning back against the chair. “You’re gonna give me Jason, aren’t you?”

Somehow, Jason thought Slade looked angrier than Jason felt. Jason just sighed and replied, “Yeah, Bluebird. You win.”

Dick grinned wider. “I love it when people gift wrap my favorite things for me.”

Slade slammed his hands down on the table, standing and leaning over to get right in Dick’s face. The man in question blinked up at him, but Jason could see the tension and wariness in the way he held his body still. “Listen here, you crazy son of a bitch - you let something happen to him and nothing, not any deal you made with Jason or the CIA or whatever protection you think the Bat can provide you is going to protect you from what I have in store for you. He better come back to me in one piece or I’ll skip the lethal injection, the electric chair, and a damn noose and go back to burning you at the stake like the unnatural demon that you are.”

Dick closed the gap and pressed their mouths together, wrapping his fingers around the back of Slade’s neck to pull him close and then dominating the kiss with his tongue. Slade managed to yank back but not before Dick caught his bottom lip between his teeth and drew blood that Slade wiped away with the back of his hand. Dick licked the smear of red off his lip and chuckled. “I can’t tell if you want to fuck Jason and you’re jealous, or you’re trying to supplement yourself as a father figure. Maybe it’s a little of both? That’s kind of kinky.”

Slade inhaled and Jason reluctantly stepped in before this got out of hand. “Slade, it’s fine.”

“It’s far from fine,” Slade ground out.

“He’s playing games with you. This is what he does. Just let it go,” Jason said. “Trust me. I’m used to dealing with him.”

“That’s the fucking problem,” Slade said. “That’s the goddamn fucking problem.”

Jason didn’t have a good response to that, just watched Slade leave and slam the interrogation room door behind him.

~~~

Dick crossed his legs and stretched out as much as the seat would allow him too. He grumbled when that space wasn’t far enough to satisfy Dick’s need and wrinkled his nose in distaste. “I can’t believe your employers couldn’t spring for first class.”

“We have budgets,” Jason said. “Those budgets don’t cover paying for criminals to fly in luxury.”

A baby from the front started screaming and Dick widened his eyes and then slowly turned his head to glower at it. Jason rubbed his temples. “Sorry, Dick, but you’re just going to have to deal with it.”

“How have you lived like this for the past five years?” Dick asked, dragging his eyes away from the crying infant.

Jason snorted. “I don’t mind crying babies?”

“I don’t mind them either, as long as they’re not joining me on a several hour long flight,” Dick said.

Jason took off his suit jacket and left it to lie in the seat behind him, loosening his tie in order to get comfortable. “Relax, Dick. It’ll be over before you know it. Watch a movie to keep yourself entertained.”

Dick watched him the whole time and Jason wasn’t going to comment on it, but Dick had to open his mouth. Some things never changed. “You look good, Little Wing.”

“I’m not going there, Dick,” Jason warned.

“Going where?” Dick asked. He sounded sincere enough that Jason actually looked at him, only to scowl when he found the mischief in Dick’s eyes. Jason looked away. “Little Wing, don’t ignore me. I hate being ignored.”

“You know what I’m talking about,” Jason said, keeping his voice low as to not bother the other passengers. “Every snide comment and mention of the past, fondling me in the interrogation room – I’m not sleeping with you again, Dick. If you think that’s where this is going, it’s not. What happened in the past is because I was too young to know any better.”

Dick rolled his eyes and leaned back. “They hire a shrink to tell you that?”

“Yes, actually,” Jason said. “Believe it or not, after being tortured for as long as I was they make that mandatory before they let you carry a gun. So I got to deal with that and the history with my dad and then got to share my stories of being molested as a teenager by my adopted brother.”

“When you say it like that, it sounds bad,” Dick said.

“That’s because it was bad,” Jason said.

“I didn’t rape you,” Dick said.

“I never said you did,” Jason replied. “I consented but I wasn’t old enough-“

“You climbed into my lap and forced your tongue down my throat,” Dick said. “You didn’t just consent, it was all your idea.”

Jason’s lips pressed together. He curled his hand around the armrest of the seat. “I was fifteen.”

“I remember,” Dick said.

“You were twenty two,” Jason said.

“I _remember_ ,” Dick said.

“You should have known better,” Jason said.

Dick rolled his eyes again. “Why should I deny myself when you were so eager?”

“Because I was a child,” Jason said.

“You were fifteen,” Dick said. “And you had already made your first kill. You had seen people taken advantage of on the street before Bruce scooped you up out of the gutter so don’t pretend that you didn’t know what you were doing when you crawled into my bed and begged me to-“

“ _Would all passengers please buckle their seatbelts? We’re about to take off_.”

Jason looked up at the blinking red seatbelt light at the front. “I wanted to bring you down.”

“And I let you,” Dick said. “Even after you ran to Bruce the first time and told him how far I had fallen for a gangly little fifteen year old kid. Even after Bruce kicked me out, I still helped you sneak out and drag me down further. Maybe I should have known better, but you don’t get to wear a halo and call yourself a martyr.”

A silence slammed between them and Jason forced himself to relax his grip on the arm rest before the plastic snapped.

The plane grumbled as it started moving along the runway. Jason exhaled sharply. “You realize Bruce is going to try to kill me when we get there, right? I tried to kill all of you.”

“You know I won’t let that happen,” Dick said. “Your whole plan revolves around knowing you’ve got me wrapped around your finger.”

“You’re not infallible,” Jason said.

Dick chuckled. “It never even occurred to you that I might just not try to protect you, would it? Your concern was honestly just that Bruce might best me.”

Jason looked at Dick and didn’t like the guilt twisting in his stomach. Looking away, however, just made Dick laugh harder.

“You really have them fooled back there, don’t you? Poor little victim Jason Todd who was bad touched and left to be abandoned and forced to kill,” Dick said, mocking voice. “Nothing about how much you liked sucking me off or asking me to fuck you in the same room as the body you’d just slaughtered?”

Jason clenched his jaw.

“Yeah, Little Wing. I missed you too,” Dick said. He leaned back against the chair again and closed his eyes. “Wake me when we land.”

~~~

Jason’s skin itched just looking up at the place. “In and out, Dick.”

“You’re cute when you get all demanding,” Dick said. “I don’t take orders from you.”

Jason slid his hands into his pockets as Dick walked up and pressed his finger against the doorbell. From outside, Jason heard the tune signaling a visitor proceeding the footsteps walking across the wooden floors of the entryway. The door opened and Alfred stopped in the doorway. “Master Jason.”

“Hi, Alfred,” Jason said softly.

“Hello, Dick,” Dick said sarcastically. “Good to see you too.”

Alfred’s expression tightened. “Of course, Master Richard. I didn’t mean to ignore you.”

Dick shrugged. “It’s fine. I brought home the prodigal son. I didn’t expect anything else.”

Alfred stepped back, holding the door open. “Please, both of you come in.”

Dick did, pulling off his coat, and Jason followed. When Alfred held out his hand for Jason’s suit jacket as well he shook his head. “We’re not staying long.”

“What he means is that he’s carrying a weapon and doesn’t want Bruce to know,” Dick said.

Jason pressed his lips together. “Thank you, _Dick_.”

Dick saluted and walked past Alfred. “Something smells good.”

“Lemon and herb grilled salmon,” Alfred said. “I’ll go add to the pan for the two of you.”

“Thank you,” Dick said.

“We’re not going to be staying for dinner,” Jason pressed. “Dick, we talked about this.”

“You talked about this,” Dick said. “I’m staying for dinner.”

Jason felt his eye twitched and rubbed it with his fingertips as he followed. “Bluebird-“

Dick turned and grabbed Jason’s shirt to shove him into the wall. “Are you honestly about to try and sweet talk me?”

Jason looked down into Dick’s eyes and then felt his shoulders droop. “Dinner, Dick. Then we have to leave.”

Dick nosed against Jason’s neck and then dragged his teeth against his neck. The wet heat of his tongue pressed against Jason’s rapid pulse and then pulled away. Jason leaned forward to chase after it before he could even _think_ about it.

“Dick…” Jason said, begging under his breath. Jason wasn’t even sure what he was begging for. “Please.”

“We’re staying tonight,” Dick countered. “And we’ll leave tomorrow.”

Jason closed his eyes and then tipped his head back against the wall. He nodded, stiffly at first and then stronger.

“Good boy,” Dick said, patting Jason’s cheek. He pulled back.

“Grayson?”

Jason looked over Dick’s shoulder. Talia’s nose and lips, Bruce’s everything else. No denying who the kid belonged to, and Jason had doubted the stories.

“Hi, Little D,” Dick said.

“Who is this?” Damian asked, stepping close enough to Dick for the man to wrap his arms around him. Jason swallowed back the jealousy. He refused to be jealous of a thirteen year old embracing his older brother.

“Jason Todd,” Dick said. He looked back at Jason. “I know. He’s grown up a lot since we took the pictures you’ve seen.”

For someone so small, this news gave Damian a presence that made even Jason wary. He didn’t move as Dick set his chin on the top of Damian’s head but he did manage to shoot a death glare at Jason. “The same Todd who nearly killed you and Father?”

“And Tim,” Dick helpfully pointed out.

Damian sneered. “At least if he had rid us of Drake it would have been a blessing.”

“Why would you bring him here, Dick?” Tim asked, also stepping into the room.

There had been a time when Jason was healing from his wounds and confined to a hospital bed and watched a week marathon of animal documentaries. There had been an African themed day where Jason had watched a gazelle hunted down by a pack of cheetahs, surrounded and then made to run until it was ripped to shreds.

The comparison did not fall short on Jason.

“We won’t be here long,” Jason managed.

“Is that so?” Tim asked.

Jason looked at Dick and then cursed himself in his head for the way it almost looked like he was asking permission.

Almost. Hell, who was he kidding?

“Yes,” Dick said, lips quirking. He never took his eyes off Jason. “Just tonight. I’ll come back for another visit when I’m done helping Jason.”

“Does Father know?” Damian asked.

“Not yet,” Dick replied.

Damian’s own lips curved into a grin, but this looked less like Dick’s indulgent if smug smile and more like the Cheshire cat in the tree giving Jason bad directions. “I volunteer to tell him that the traitor has returned.”

The boy didn’t get a foot away before Dick snagged the back of his shirt collar and pulled him back. “No, Damian.”

“Welcome back,” Tim said.

Jason shrugged his shoulders trying to relieve the tension. “I’m not back.”

“So far,” Tim said.

“Give us some space,” Dick ordered. “I need to speak with Bruce before we surprise him at dinner. I’ll speak with both of you soon.”

Damian didn’t seem pleased by this turn of events but pushed Dick’s hand away on his collar and nodded. “Leave, Drake.”

Tim made a face but walked out at the same time as Damian.

“Jealous?”

“No,” Jason said instantly.

Dick smirked. “Yes you are.”

“You have a job to do,” Jason reminded him. “We had a deal.”

“I know what I’m doing and doing it right means going up and letting Bruce know that you’re here,” Dick said.

Jason grit his teeth until his jaw ached. “Dick-“

“Jay,” Dick interrupted.

“Dick, do you want him to kill me?” Jason demanded.

“Don’t throw a tantrum. It’s not attractive,” Dick said. He turned and headed for the stairs and left Jason no choice but to follow.

Jason jogged after Dick, grabbing his hand and pulling Dick close enough to feel his breath against his lips. “What do you want?”

Dick’s eyebrows rose. “Excuse me?”

“This whole thing about demanding we stay,” Jason said. “You’re after something.”

“Dinner?” Dick asked.

Jason growled and slammed Dick into the wall. “You’re not cute.”

“I am _adorable_ ,” Dick said, reaching up to rub the back of his head.

“What do you want?” Jason demanded.

“I want to see my family and watch you squirm for the hell you’re putting me through,” Dick said. Jason’s hand wrapped around Dick’s neck but all Dick did was tilt his head back. “You won’t hurt me, Little Wing.”

“You keep saying that,” Jason said.

“Because I know it’s true,” Dick said. “Either do it or let go so we can see Bruce.”

Jason squeezed, dug his fingers in and tried to leave bruises because he knew the truth as well as Dick did. He stepped back and let Dick massage his neck.

“Feel better?” Dick asked.

Not even a little. “Let’s just go see Daddy Dearest so I can get the hell out of here.”

Dick opened the study door.

Bruce looked up and then did a double take. “Dick.” The shift from pleasant surprise at seeing his oldest to red tinged fury at Jason’s presence behind him was like an electric jolt straight through the air.

“Nice to see you too,” Jason muttered.

“You have some nerve showing your face here,” Bruce said. He stood and sidestepped the desk.

Jason took a step back and reached for the gun at his hip out of instinct. Dick moved faster. He always moved faster. Jason was suddenly pinned against the wall with Dick’s back pressed against his front and his shooting hand tangled with Dick’s fingers.

Jason swallowed a groan as Dick’s ass pressed against him and Jason remembered every reason he kept going back to Dick when he was younger.

“Bruce,” Dick said, drawing the name out. “Jason isn’t here to fight. We came to visit.”

“The last time we saw him, he nearly killed all of us,” Bruce said.

“And the last time he saw us, we nearly killed him and his partner,” Dick said. “All is fair in love and war.”

“What is he doing here?” Bruce demanded.

“Keeping me company,” Dick said, using his grip on Jason’s hand to place it on his hip and then slide it down. Jason swallowed and focused very hard on staying focused. It didn’t work.

Bruce’s eyes followed the hand and then snapped up to Dick’s face. Then Jason’s. “You know how I feel about this, Dick.”

Dick let go but this time Jason didn’t reach for the gun. He knew better. Dick was protecting him, just like he’d promised. Jason could trust him, or he could let Bruce call the dogs and outnumber him to take him down. And Jason had a bad history of giving Dick control when he shouldn’t anyways.

“Do you think you have any place to judge?” Dick asked. He stepped away from Jason but didn’t move out of Bruce’s way to him. “Don’t answer that.”

Bruce narrowed his eyes on Jason and then tore them back to Dick. “Don’t let him abuse this.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Dick said. He tilted his head towards the door and Jason took the permission to walk out of the room. Dick followed.

“Bastard,” Jason breathed.

Dick set his hand against Jason’s lower back. “What did you expect, Jason?”

Home.

“Nothing,” Jason said.

“Liar,” Dick said.

Jason knew it was a bad idea to come back. “I tried to kill you all. I expected nothing.”

“You wanted him to take you back,” Dick corrected.

“I want him to burn in hell,” Jason snapped.

Dick shrugged. “Yeah, but you also wanted him to take you back.”

Jason sucked in a breath that made his lungs burn. “Dick…”

Dick kissed the back of Jason’s neck. “I know, Little Wing.”

Jason whimpered, bracing his hand against the wall as he tried to get himself under control.

~~~

Dinner was tense. Jason tethered himself to the scrape of forks against the plates and the scent of lemon clinging to the air long after the dinner was eaten – the warmth of Dick’s hand on his knee throughout dinner.

“Jason?”

He looked up, attention pulled back to the moment at the mention of his name. He wiped his mouth with the cloth napkin provided on the table. “Yes?”

“I asked if you enjoyed dinner,” Dick prompted.

“Yeah,” Jason said. “It was good.”

“Good,” Dick said. It was phrased in a way that sounded too much like praise and Jason’s chest ached.

Jason pressed the heels of his palms against his eyes. The Manor might as well be an insane asylum for the way Jason was feeling. Dick’s fingers stroked through Jason’s hair. Jason simultaneously wished that he would just stop touching him and put him on the table and actually follow through on all this touching.

It was a dangerous line of thinking.

“I’m going to excuse myself,” Dick said. “Jason, would you like to come with me?”

“Yes,” Jason said, breathing out the word in a sigh of relief.

“I’ll see you in the morning,” Dick said to the table at large. “Come on, Little Wing.”

Jason followed him out, half in a haze. “I hate this house.”

“No you don’t,” Dick said.

“I can’t…” Jason trailed off.

Dick took Jason’s hand, pulling him close. “Yes. You can.”

“You don’t even know what I was going to say,” Jason said, pushing Dick away.

“I can’t be here,” Dick said. “I can’t deal with them. I can’t be around you. I can’t do this again. I can’t breathe, think, _be_. Am I getting close?”

Jason squeezed his eyes shut, a mistake. Dick pressed their lips together, guiding Jason’s mouth open to push his tongue in and taste every inch of Jason’s mouth. “Dick…”

Dick smothered his protest with another kiss. Jason’s chest ached from lack of air and yet it felt perfect. Nothing was as good as this. Dick’s hand let go of Jason’s and slid up to cup Jason’s cheek instead. The wall fell away behind Jason and he realized that Dick had pressed him up against Dick’s old bedroom door.

Dick sucked on Jason’s neck at the same time he kicked the door shut with a sharp crack of his heel. “Strip, Little Wing.”

“I told you that I wasn’t doing this again,” Jason breathed. He didn’t pull away, though. He didn’t say to stop.

He _did_ slide his hand up under Dick’s shirt and over the planes of smooth skin and taut muscle.

“ _Strip_ , Little Wing,” Dick ordered.

Jason groaned. “Bluebird…”

Dick chuckled against Jason’s neck. “That’s right, Jay. Now strip for me.”

Jason let Dick suck his soul out through a kiss again and then tugged at the hem of his shirt.

Dick shoved him back against the bed, crawling on after him and straddling Jason’s waist. Nimble fingers started at the bottom to meet Jason’s as he worked the buttons from the top. Jason struggled with the last one until Dick’s impatience got the best of them and Jason heard the button bounce off the wall and then disappear somewhere in the room.

The shirt fell open and Dick dragged his fingers over skin and ragged scar tissue. Jason closed his eyes so he didn’t have to look at the mess of his body that he’d been left with. Dick’s touches were tender, though, and then he pressed a kiss to the scars on his chest.

“So goddamn beautiful,” Dick whispered. Almost too quiet for Jason to hear. Almost.

Jason set his hands on Dick’s hips, using his grip to roll them against each other and groaning at the friction. His eyes flickered up to Dick, watching him with pupil blown eyes and a thin ring of bright blue. Jason rubbed his thumb over Dick’s hip. “I missed you too, Bluebird.”

“Show me,” Dick ordered.

Jason reached between them and unbuttoned his dress pants. Dick shifted his weight to let Jason kick them off and then pinned Jason’s thighs back down as he gripped Jason’s cock in his hand and _squeezed_. Jason bit out a sharp breath at then shuddered when Dick brushed his thumb over the tip.

“Has anyone touched you?” Dick demanded. Jason’s hesitation made Dick squeeze harder and Jason shook his head. The grip loosened and started stroking him from base to tip. “Good boy.”

That praise shouldn’t make Jason feel like falling apart and letting Dick put him back together again.

“I’m going to fuck you, Little Wing,” Dick said, voice low and husky in a way that still had Jason’s toes curling even now that he was long past working away teenage hormones in the shower. “I’m going to fuck all the holy righteousness that they put in you. You can ruin me but I’m going to drag you back down to Hell with me.”

“Please,” Jason said.

Dick was gone and Jason couldn’t even open his eyes, didn’t need to because he’d memorized the way clothes sounded sliding off Dick’s perfect body. Could pinpoint the quiet hiss of Dick’s zipper sliding down and the shift of the bed as Dick crawled back into it with him and breathed against Jason’s cock so that it twitched in desperation.

The first touch of tongue against him had Jason grunting and curling his fingers into the sheets beneath them.

Same damn sheets. The texture was the same and Jason could believe that Alfred would clean and wash the sheets and leave the bed the way that Dick left it and that was so fucking _twisted_ and so fucking perfect because it was almost like never leaving. Almost like waking up from the worst nightmare and finding himself in the best dream of Dick holding him in his arms _one last time_.

“Dick, I need you,” Jason said.

Dick pulled off with a pop. “You’re impatient.”

“You’ve never left me feeling any other way,” Jason admitted.

The lubed finger that slid into Jason burned and Jason snapped his hips up to get more of it.

“Masochist,” Dick chastised, but fed it with another finger. Too much, so much, not enough and Jason had to pressed his hand against his mouth to muffle the cry from it.

Jason felt the gentle brush of fingers through his hair and then the sharp sting of hair being pulled as Dick shoved another finger in and Jason had to exhale everything in his lungs to keep from tensing around them. “Dick, harder.”

“You’re cute when you get demanding,” Dick teased. He curled his fingers and cooed when Jason shouted in response. The fingers slipped out and Jason spread his legs to give Dick more room without prompting. Dick dug his fingers into Jason’s thighs and spread them further, taking what Jason was giving and then so much more. A sharp bite to the side of Jason’s neck served as his only warning before Dick snapped his hips and buried himself to the hilt in one smooth motion.

Jason moved and then felt his head hit the bed when Dick’s grip on his hair tightened. “No, Jason. Stay.”

Jason could never deny Dick anything.

The rhythm was brutal and interspersed with the gentlest kisses, loving nips against Jason’s bottom lip. Jason’s ass was on fire but his cock was hard and leaking between them. Dick’s brand of love was being set on fire from the inside out and Jason was addicted.

“Missed you so much, Little Wing,” Dick said between panted breaths of air. “I won’t let you forget me.”

There had never been a chance of that. Not before, definitely not now. Jason wrapped his fingers around Dick’s shoulders and dug in, wanting to leave as many marks. He dragged Dick back down for another kiss, sucking Dick’s tongue into his mouth and biting on it with a particularly sharp thrust. Dick only groaned as they shared the taste of blood between them.

“Touch me,” Jason demanded.

Dick chuckled. “Not a chance, Little Wing.”

Jason growled and twisted them. Surprise caused Dick to lose the grip on Jason’s hair to keep him down. Jason never pulled off, just braced his hand against Dick’s chest and then rode him. His free hand wrapped around his cock and stroked himself. “Fuck you, Dick.”

Dick made a move to sit up and Jason squeezed around him. The parted lips were too much of a temptation to resist kissing and Jason grunted into Dick’s mouth as his orgasm hit with the force of a freight train. He didn’t stop riding him, didn’t stop squeezing around Dick and the man groaned helplessly as he too followed Jason right over the edge.

Jason stilled at the burst of wet heat inside of him and then moved his hand from Dick’s chest to the bed to hold himself up.

“Damn you, Dick,” Jason whispered.

“Yeah,” he replied, pulling out of Jason and then guiding Jason down against the bed. “I know.”

Jason closed his eyes as Dick shifted them around and then laid his head against Jason’s chest.

“I missed you,” Dick whispered, ear over Jason’s heartbeat.

“I know,” Jason said, reaching up to stroke Dick’s hair. “Damn you still.”

**Author's Note:**

> THIS NOTE CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!
> 
> The rape/non-con/dub con/underage warnings all refer to the fact that Dick and Jason slept together a few times when Jason was fifteen. Obviously there is a significant age gap which, in this fic, puts Dick about seven years older than Jason and clearly adult enough to know better. Jason does not feel raped but the fact of the matter is that he was not old enough to consent, so the warning remains.


End file.
